One in three adults over the age of 65 years of age fall each year. These falls result in fractures, decreased mobility, fear and trauma. Less than 3% of fall related injuries treated in the ER occur while using a cane or walker (Stevens 2009). In a study by Roelands et al. conducted in a nursing facility, despite the fact that 74% of those in the study were prescribed assistive devices, only 21% of falls occurred while using devices (Roelands 2002). It can therefore be gathered that many falls among the elderly occur when an individual is not using his or her device.
The chance of falling significantly increases when these users forgo their devices, as the 30-50% of users who abandon their prescribed walkers represents a highly disproportionate number of at home falls (Roelands 2002). Furthermore, even those elderly who do use their mobility assistive devices will often leave behind their device to maneuver through tighter spaces in the home, such as kitchens, hallways, and bathrooms (Theresa et al. 2013). They may find their assistive device too “clunky” or simply admit to leaving it “in the wrong part of the house” (Iezzoni 2003). Some individuals will instead choose to “furniture surf,” a behavior in which the user will use furniture in the room to maintain balance, moving their hands from furniture item to furniture item as they move through the space (Theresa et al. 2013 and Iezzoni 2009).
Current devices are not effective enough at preventing falls during use. In particular, if a device could be more easily and conveniently taken throughout the entirety of an individual's home and through tight spaces, they would be more likely to use the device at all or most times, subsequently decreasing their chance of falling. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that operates throughout many environments, such as the home and tight spaces.